Hydraulic classifier.



No. 728,487. PATENTED MAY 19, 19( 1s.

o. W. MERRILL. HYDRAULIC GLASSIPIER.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented May 19, 1903. I

PATENT OFFICE.

HYDRAULIC CLASSIFIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part or Letters Patent No. 728,487, dated May'19,1903.

Application filed May 12, 1902. $erial No. 106,914- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. MERRILL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Alameda, county of Alameda, State of California,haveinvented an Improvement in Hydraulic Classifiers; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame.

My invention relates to an apparatus which is especially designed forseparating, the heavier or coarser from the lighter or finer componentsfound in tailin gs of ores or other valuable products, these separationsbeing technically known as concentrating and classifying.

It consists of the parts and the constructions and combinations of partshereinafter described and claimed. p,

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectionalview of the device on the line a: m of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection on the line y y of Fig. 1.

In the methods which have been employed for separating or classifyingthe substances found in tailings and the like a conical, pyramidal, orsimilarly-shaped hopper has been employed, into the top of which'thepulp has been delivered, and water is admitted directly into the lowerpart to flow upwardly through the said hopper with the object of causingthe lighter material to be constantly raised and discharged over theupper edges of the hopper, while the heavier sand passes out through adischarge-opening at the bottom. This apparatus is open to objection byreason of a disturbance created by the current of water admitted, whichprevents the proper separation of the material.

In my invention I have shown a supplementary cone A, having adischarge-opening 2 at the apex, which apex is presented downwardly.Around the upper part or base of the cone is an annular closed chamber3, having an inlet, as at at, through which water may be admitted withinthis chamber. In the bottom of this annular chamber is an annularchannel 5, opening from the chamberinto the upper and larger part of thereceiver and near the inner periphery thereof. Through the center of theannular chamber is a passage or opening 6,'extending upwardly and havingits axisapproximately coincident with the axis of the discharge-openingat the bottom of the cone. Through this passage connection is made withthe supply and overflow hopper 7, which is located above and may besecured to the top of this device by being screwed into it or otherwise.

The pulp containing the sulfurets, slimes, or other material ofdifferent sizes and specific gravity which are to be separated isdelivered into the upper part of the supply-hopper 7 and mingled withsuch a quantity of Water that it will be sufiiciently thin to'flow ffreely. A current of water being admitted through the passage 4' intothe annular chamber will be discharged downwardly through the annularchannel 5 around the periphery of the conical chamber A. Thiswaterreplaces the slimier water, which would otherwise be carried down andout with the sand or heavier components. The heavier sand will flowdownwardly through the opening and through the lower cone, passing outthrough the discharge 2 at the bottom. The eflect of this structure isto admit the water in a continuous surrounding sheet, so' thatitconverges from all sides toward'the center.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secureby'Letters Patent, is-

1.. A hydraulic classifier consisting of a closed downwardly-convergentreceiver, with a central supply-opening at the top and adischarge-opening in line therewith at the bottom, a closed clear-Waterchamber concentric with and separated from the upper'central opening,said chamber having a bottom provided near the inner wall of the upperand larger end of the receiver, with a continuous channel openingdownwardly into the re- .ceiver.

2. A hydraulic classifier consisting of a closed downwardly-convergentreceiver with a central discharge-opening at the bottom, acentrally-located supply-opening at the top,

a Water-chamber surrounding said opening In witness whereof I havehereunto set my and having a side supply-opening and a bothand.

tom slotted to form a continuous channel CHARLES W MERRILL riphery ofsaid receiver, and a source of sup- Witnesses: ply connecting with theopening at the top of ROBERT H. DRISCOLL, the receiver. 1 MASON TYLER.

opening into the receiver near the inner pe I

